1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic music score device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable electronic music score device for transporting, storing, displaying, and annotating music scores.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, sheet music is widely used. The conventional storage and handling of written music has long presented a problem for the professional and amateur musician alike. Among these problems are the difficulty of storing the large volume of material, accessing individual works or sections of works, displaying the music in a clearly visible way under differing lighting and other conditions, transporting the music with ease, page-turning without disruption, annotating the music efficiently, and doing all this without damaging the musical score.
Sheet music is typically published as single works or in compilations of works of a single composer or composers of a particular period or any number of other thematic bases for compilations. Many of these volumes are tens or even hundreds of pages and are cumbersome to transport, file, and access. Whether purchased as single works or in large volumes, the physical space required for storage is considerable and the difficulty of accessing the music you want at any given time becomes increasingly difficult as more sheet music is acquired.
Music is played in different lighting conditions, ranging from the dimmed lighting in an orchestra pit to the bright lighting in a home with large windows and skylights. Those who play music also have different visual acuity. These varying conditions create a need to be able to adjust the contrast between the musical notations and the page, as well as to be able to adjust the size of the notes.
Performing musicians, students, teachers, and others transport their music to lessons, rehearsals, performances, and the like. Carrying large volumes or multiple sheets is cumbersome, inconvenient, and often just plain heavy. Over time it also damages the sheet music. An easier means of taking the music with you is needed.
Page-turning has long interfered with practice and performance, requiring an individual to interrupt playing to turn the page or have someone else available to do the page-turning. Music is not meant to be broken by page-turning and a better means of being able to play continuously is needed. In addition, the conventional system of page-turning contributes significantly to damage to sheet music.
Teachers, students, and performers often annotate their music, marking dynamics, fingering, comments, highlighting elements, and so on. At a later date many of these are erased or changed. The page can become messy and damaged. A cleaner, more efficient means of annotating is needed.
All the above problems require improvements in the conventional system of displaying and handling musical scores.
Numerous innovations for display devices have been provided in the prior art. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they are addressed, they each differ in structure and/or operation and/or purpose from the present invention.
FOR EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,070 to Bahu teaches an electronic music book for simplifying the storage and retrieval of musical scores in which a control panel operates electronic memories to locate a song in the memory for a musician's reading thereof. Optional modules may be added to the memory to expand the library of songs stored by the book. A variety of additional features may be included in the music book, such as audio playback of a selected song, tempo and rhythm control, and a temporary memory for musical works entered through a musical keyboard in the control panel. The book is adapted to be attached to a music stand and may be battery operated for portable use or permanently connected to a source of A.C. voltage.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,741 to Titus teaches an electronic piano that has a keyboard and an electronic piano circuit connected to a micro-processor used to control a CRT device to provide a video note display concurrently with the depression of one or more keys. A keyboard representation located adjacent the screen of the CRT device is associated with lights used to indicate the key or keys that are played. Manually operated controls cooperate with the micro-processor to allow the back clearing of the screen one note at a time, to remove all the notes, to retain all the notes, to indicate sharp or flat mode of each note, and to indicate the duration that a key is depressed by elongating the note on the screen. A metronome unit is used with the micro-processor to provide a visual beat marker on the screen that sequentially moves across the screen. A movable frame connects the CRT device to the piano.
STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,510 to Van den Abbeel teaches an apparatus comprising a console having a screen for displaying a music score recorded on a score support. In addition to information representing the music score, the score support has position indicators at predetermined locations along the support. Each position indicator corresponds to a reference signature in the score. The console includes means for reading and displaying the score information carried by the support, driving means responsive to a control signal to move forward the score support thereby to display successive portions of the score on the screen, electronic control means adapted to monitor the performance of a piece of music and recognize therein the predetermined reference signature, and produce a page change command signal for moving forward the score support each time a reference signature is recognized in the musical performance such that successive portions of the score are displayed on the screen, and a keyboard for use by an operator.
YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,182 to Obuchi et al. teaches a musical score display device for a music score processor that is formed into a rectangular plate-like form so as to be detachably mounted on the processor. The device includes a cable for connecting the display device with the processor. The musical score display device may include an LCD provided with two touch sensors. By pressing the sensors, the next page or previous page of music score is displayed.
STILL YET EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,862 to Dao et al. teaches a keyboardless portable computer that simulates a foldable notepad and has a display which can be reoriented to the convenience of the user, carried in a self-protecting closed position, and operated in any convenient open position. The computer has a first flat panel, a second flat panel, and hinge means for joining the first panel to the second panel such that the first flat surface is juxtaposed to the second flat surface in a closed position and is disposed side by side in a common plane in one of a selection of open positions. The first flat surface includes a first digitizer and the second flat surface includes a second digitizer, and a stylus is provided which is connectable to at least one of the panels for interacting with at least one of the digitizers. One of the digitizers includes a flat panel display through which visual output is provided. Thus, registration of a written symbol on the surface of the panel produces a displayed symbol, preferably at the position of registration. The panels may be detachable at the hinge means, folded back to back to one another for compact usage, and a second hinge on a digitizer panel permits a bound paper notebook to be interleaved with a thin digitizer.
YET STILL EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,687 to Ishii teaches a musical score that can be displayed by a simple operation, thus permitting the musical score to be easily seen when playing the music. Namely, musical score data of a plurality of pieces of music are stored in a musical score display, and when a piece of music is selected, the musical score data of this piece of music is read out and displayed, and thus the musical score data can be easily selected and displayed. The musical score data that has been read out and displayed can be changed according to a feeding of a page. The displayed musical score and the musical score page feed can be easily effected while playing the music. As a result, the displayed musical score is changed according to a progress of a musical repeat, for example Da Capo, Dal Segno, Al Fine, bis, etc.
STILL YET EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,314 to Weinstock et al. teaches a computerized method for correlating a performance, in real time, to a score of music, and a machine based on that method. A score processor accepts a score which a user would like to play and converts it into a useable format. Performance input data is accepted by the input processor, and the performance input data is correlated to the score on a note-by-note basis. An apparatus for performing this method includes an input processor that receives input and compares it to the expected score to determine whether an entire chord has been matched, and an output processor which receives a note match signal from the input processor and provides an output stream responsive to the match signals.
YET STILL EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,602 to Davis et al. teaches an adaptor module that includes a graphical user interface having a video display and a touch responsive overlay. The graphical user interface displays graphical images representing parameters of an electronic musical instrument and generates control signals. A computer system is also included in the adaptor module for driving the graphical user interface. A music stand for supporting sheet material, wherein the graphical user interface forms part of the music stand. The graphical user interface can be mounted in an opening in the music stand and can provide a touch screen that is flush with the music support surface or recessed. The computer system is adapted for receiving signals from the electronic musical instrument.
In sum, it is apparent that numerous innovations for display devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.